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Opportunities are all around us, and there for the taking (if you dare)

It’s incredible the speed things happen when you are clear about what you want in life (however open to how they present themselves.)

So in a whirlwind of action (just the way I like it! 😉 I found myself a fantastic place to live, an amazing studio to run my business from an invitation/introduction into the Adventure Racing community, and support and connection with like minded Fitness Professionals, and an invitation to Search4Hurt’s Hurt Camp.

And it seemed to spring from four things things…

First of all:

1. Knowing what I want
I identified what my life would look like if it was ideal, what I would be doing, who I would be with, and how I would feel (this wasn’t easy, and required a lot of thought and deliberation) and I wrote it down (there’s something powerful in writing on paper your goals.)

2. Believing I could have it
I must say I still find this a challenge however I work on smashing my limiting beliefs daily.
There simply is no point identifying goals, saying positive affirmations, or even being so determined to achieve your goals if you simply don’t believe you can actually have it. It won’t happen.
As Napoleon Hill put “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Just wanting something is not enough, you need to believe it can really come true.

However having identified these, I was almost too scared to leave the house (haha crazy aye!) as I knew through the Law of Attraction what I wanted in my life would come in fast and furiously, and I kinda felt like I wasn’t ready for it yet – again proving I was struggling with actually believe in myself…

So I found if I really wanted my ideal life to manifest I then needed to do 2 things:

1. Say yes (Be open to ideas, suggestions and invitations; and then agree to do it) or actually ask for help.
I contacted MAX International College for Fitness Professionals in Brisbane (I had trained in their college in Auckland), various Business mentoring/support groups, and the Adventure Racing community, but I needed to commit, take people up on their invitations and get myself involved (even at the time if it wasn’t exactly what I thought I needed – how do I really know what’s best for me?)
Asking to be involved, and saying yes to invitations/opportunities was required to start my life to roll..

2. Getting out there and actually doing it (actioning what you said yes to.)
It may sound simple, but it’s so easy to say you’ll do something, and it’s quite another to actually do it.
Living an awesome life is an act of doing, which requires action, which means smashing through all the excuses and all the valid reasons why you can’t or shouldn’t, and then doing it anyway.
Actually opening a door that presents itself to you and having a look inside, not imagining what it would be like or waiting for the right time, just as Nike say ‘Just do it!’

So I went out there and I met people, I trained with them, I moved out of my old house, I facilitated relationships, I put my Search4Hurt video together – I actioned what I said I would (and what would get me living my ideal life.)
*In life we are constantly presented with open doors; some wide open, some obscurely hidden, others which only lead to a single room (and require you to go back – however never without learnings) and yes some with tricky or imaginative unlocking systems; but they are always there, even when we can’t ‘see’ them.

**Broadly speaking, every function we perform subconsciously or consciously is controlled by the brain. The Reticular Activating System (RAS) senses things around us and sorts them out. However it deals with thousands of information every second so it filters things out for us.
Have you ever noticed when you’ve decided to buy or have bought a car, and then suddenly, as by magic you notice the roads are full of this exact car – that’s your RAS in action! The cars were always there, you just weren’t paying attention to them!)
The same thing is true about opportunities, and options available to you (the open doors.)
They are always there, but it’s what you are focusing on, what you allow yourself to see….which is controlled by what you are thinking about.
As Earl Nightingale put so well ‘You become what you think about most of the time’ or ‘You get what you think about most of the time.’

What and how you think it a huge predictor of what happens to you in your life.
Your thoughts are reflected back to you like a mirror, and what happens to you (your life experiences) are always in align with what you are thinking.
For example telling yourself you can’t afford things, and if you’re constantly thinking about how you don’t have enough money; this is exactly what will manifest itself in your life – you WON’T have enough money and you WON’T be able to afford things.

Yes I know it sounds a wee bit crazy, but your thoughts hold a the key to unlocking what you want in your life.
Throughout the day I am constantly focusing on my thoughts (directed to what I want and believe I can have) and this account over the past few weeks is a prime example of how this is actually happening in my life.

So back to my story…..

So I met with Trevor Mullens and it started a flurry of things to occur in my life.

What an amazing, generous, wise, full of energy and life character is Trevor!
He wonderfully invited me into his home, and introduced me to his family, his friends and the Adventure Racing community. I made sure I said ‘yes’ to his invitations to train and meet people (even though part of me was saying it was too far, too early, too long, and would be too hard etc. But I decided to shut up those petty concerns in my head by doing what they said i couldn’t do!)

A phone call one evening from Trevor had me lining up at the start of a 5hour Adventure Race the following day with the lovely Kymberly (replacing her injured Team Member.)
It required me to wake up at 4am, after getting home from work at 11pm, and collect a bike which had 2 flat tyres and then make my way to meet with Kym, who I’d never met before, and compete in an Adventure Race, which I haven’t done since 4 years ago.
But I was not going to say no! 🙂

The following weekend Trevor paired me up with Shane (a strong athlete) in a 3 hour Adventure Race, who pushed me hard and we ended up coming first in the Mixed Team…..and then part of me started to wake up to the fact I may not be as shit as I thought I was*

*I find I massively over estimate others and under estimate myself. Constantly wanting to better and push myself, I’m pretty crap at acknowledging my abilities. I think also people also underestimate me.
They judge me by what I look like (and don’t think I’m as strong or as fit as I actually am.)
This has pretty much happened constantly in events or trainings I have taken part in in the past 8 or so years. Especially as I’ve always been one to make do with what I’ve got and don’t buy into looking the part.

I remember this happened recently when I took part on the Brisbane to Gold Coast 100km cycle. Riding in bunches quite comfortably at over 42km an hour, I got quite startled looks from the guys, and particularly when I over took them on the hills.
Come to think of it, I think I quite like this response, people saying ‘holy sh*t you’re doing well!’
It’s like they look at me with different eyes, with respect.
I like to prove people wrong, and I definitely don’t like to fit the ‘normal’ mold that’s for sure.
Stand out. Be big, be bold.
I think it’s the Leo in me that craves the centre stage 😉

So then the following weekend had me pairing up with sweetheart Nicole to take on the 12hour Dawn Attack Adventure Race.

That was 3 Adventure Races in 3 weeks.

And I loved it.

My top five values in my life are represented with what Adventure Racing is all about.
The fit and connection I have with the sport is unreal, and the past 3 weeks has made me feel even more alive, as I’ve found a sport that resonates so dearly with me.

I know this may sound very deep (and this next bit possibly a little stupid) but it’s kinda like I’ve found my ideal soul mate (in Adventure Racing), someone that can push me and support me to achieve my dreams in life.

Adventure Racing to me is full of excitement and challenge, it’s about braving the elements, getting back to nature and appreciating and immersing yourself in the outdoors.
It’s about believing in and trusting yourself, being bold and daring, taking risks, and problem solving.

To me it has the perfect balance of physical fitness and strength and your cognitive capacity to plan, comprehend, analyze and reason.

The cognitive requirements of the race are just as important as the physical; it’s just as important as how and what you think, as how fast you can run, cycle or paddle (or what other activity they may surprise you with.)

The notion of thinking on your feet couldn’t fit better with Adventure Racing.
It’s as much of a race against yourself, as it is with the allocated time or your fellow competitors.

It’s a race that is so many way mimics the trials and tribulations with life.

I believe it’s a sport that can teach us much about how to life a successful life…..
So I after my 12 hour Adventure Race on the weekend, I came up with a few things I believe Adventure Racing can teach us about life….

…Which I’ll share with you next time my friends 🙂

Until then, something to ponder…….
What would you love to be doing if money and time was no object?
What’s your ultimate passion in life?
What sort of life would you love to live?

No buts, ifs or maybes.
Just let your imagination flow (and capture these down on paper)